Ah OK, thanks for confirming about the cooldown, I knew you'd be the man to ask lol. I was sure it had a 12 second cooldown, I don't trust the figures given in the patch notes especially since it wrongly states Driver now has a 5 second cooldown, when in fact a check in-game can confirm that it is actually 3 seconds. At least if the previous cooldown was 15 seconds this is not quite as heavy a nerf as I thought, but it is still a big nerf and results in Driver being much worse with certain turrets now. It is truly bizarre that they have decided to give Driver a 3 second cooldown, if they wanted to nerf it (which it didn't need) surely they should just have reduced the amount of overdrive cooldown reduction it gave. It is now substantially worse with certain turrets than with others, which makes little sense. Some turrets (such as Large Calibre Railgun, or Adrenaline Shaft) literally can't possibly kill fast enough to get the full benefit from Driver now (not that you are likely to do that most of the time anyway, regardless of what turret you use). A 15-second cooldown was perfect, and there was absolutely no need to change it. Very strange to nerf a drone that was not OP, while leaving stronger drones untouched. The developers certainly don't operate under principles guided by logic, that's for sure.

Thanks for the responses guys :) Yes, fully aware that you obviously can't do this in any team mode - that is expressly against the game rules and bannable under "multing". However it may be allowed in special DM modes as there you have no team, interesting thinking around why they might allow this @numericable. I would still like confirmation from a helper to be sure though.

R.I.P. Driver =/ . It seems like it has been hit by a massive unwarranted nerf today. Don't really understand why, when it was not even as strong as Booster/Defender/Trickster/Crisis, and only about as strong as certain other drones - nowhere near OP yet a viable and interesting drone to use. @TheCongoSpider or others, can you remember the original cooldown time of Driver? According to the patch notes it was 15 seconds, now changed to 3 seconds (3 seconds from in-game, patch notes wrongly claim 5 seconds). I would like to know as I am trying to work out how much driver has been nerfed by. I am almost certain that Driver originally had a 12 second cooldown, with a 30 second overcharge time decrease. That means you had to kill a tank once every 12 seconds, for a 30 second overcharge time decrease. Now you must kill a tank every 3 seconds (impossible for some turrets which have a longer reload, such as Railgun or Shaft using the Sniping mode), and you will only achieve a 24 second overcharge decrease time if you have the luck to manage that exactly every 3 seconds.

Hi, I wanted to check if the following is allowed in accordance with the game rules, or can you be banned for "multing", or other violations? Are you allowed to complete daily missions such as "collect 7 repair kits" and "finish X battles" in special Deathmatch modes, without making kills, or is this disallowed by the game rules? As you are not in a team in these modes, you are not hurting a team and technically not multing, therefore it would appear to be allowed. Many thanks if you could clarify.

There were Russian patch notes for a patch released today, which included changes to Driver/Assault/Mechanic/Supplier and Blaster Drones - you can see some things are changed in game. However no EN patch notes appear to have been released.

This patch was a great effort from the developers, I would like to see more patches like this, and then the game will be in a much better place. Here are two reasons why: 1) They listed to the community: Many players asked for two-factor authentication, and for a long time even more of us asked for fixes to the general no damage bug, and also the Magnum no damage bug. 2) They focussed on trying to fix some of the game-breaking bugs that are damaging the game. Unfortunately, it seems that the general no damage bug (where you deal no damage after waiting a long time to load a match) is not fixed, as I have personally experienced it several times since the patch was released - including today - and other players I see also report experiencing it. Although, perhaps the Magnum damage bug is fixed? I used Magnum after the patch for several games, and ALL my shots on target dealt damage, whereas normally in every game since HTML5 was released a good 30% of my shots with Magnum did nothing, such that I have completely stopped using Magnum on all accounts since the release of HTML5, because it was unplayable. If this bug is fixed that is great, I see one person in this topic said that they still experienced it - but hopefully not. Unfortunately also since the patch, there now seems to be a bug with Wasp and Hornet with speed boost near ramps where they self destruct - this also needs fixed asap. We need more patches like this where more game breaking bugs (many remain) and some of the big imbalances are fixed, and the Tanki would be much better overall. Also, improvements to non-gameplay features such as 2FA are good too, and most importantly the the developers must LISTEN to the community, as they seem to have done for this patch. Fundamentally the gameplay in Tanki is good and quite unique, but there are quite a few things that are breaking the game, that need to be fixed urgently as a priority over adding new features. Here are a few examples: 1) The infinite load bug 2) The general no damage bug, which is still not fixed sadly 3) Module bug, where modules don't equip correctly - not as bad as it was but there are still problems. There are also exploitive gameplay mechanics regularly used by players, which are game-breaking and need fixed, the main one I can think of: - Hopper is able, by wall climbing or by using its overdrive, to camp in inaccessible locations with the enemy flag in CTF - or with Magnum in all gamemodes. This breaks the game in CTF sometimes, and also with Magnum can be an annoyance in all battles. And major imbalance in matchmaking: - Non-Legends are fighting against Legends very regularly, and at a much lower rank, since the time of the 16v16 experiment in December 2021. This makes playing in the ranks approaching Legend very annoying, for players of perhaps Lieutenant General and above. With so many Legends in the game, and such a great power gap with other ranks, Legends should only play against other Legends except at hours when very few players are online. This would greatly improve gameplay experience. Please focus on listening to the community, and fixing the fundamentally broken aspects of the game as a priority - give more time to that than you do currently - and less to adding new features on top of an already broken base. This is what the game needs, to make it the best that it can be and to improve player satisfaction. And if players are happy with the game, that will also be good for the developer's income in the end since more will play, and keep playing - as opposed to leaving.

Great work :) You should be hired as a tester lol. This definitely needs a fix asap - and that would explain why I didn't get it ever with Hopper then.

In other news, has anyone who experienced the Magnum no damage bug before the recent patch also experienced it after the patch? Seems fixed for me - I tried a few battles with Magnum, normally a good 30% of my shots record nothing, but every strike was properly causing damage for the first time since I have used HTML5. Anyone else anything to report on that? (A question ONLY for those who experienced the Magnum no damage bug before the patch).

O dear, that sucks :( I don't have Wasp or Hornet Mk7, so I don't know if that is what you were using (which are both slightly faster than Hopper) - I haven't experienced it with Hopper although I haven't used Hopper with Crisis or Trickster since the patch, so I assumed Hopper is not fast enough unless it uses a speed boosting drone. I only experienced it so far it on an alt account, using Crisis with Hornet.

Yes it seems with Crisis, if you have speedbost on and hit a ramp you basically self-destruct all the time. I don't know if you were also using Crisis at the time? Haven't seen the bug when not using Crisis, but always with Crisis in speed mode

That is interesting, did you do damage sometimes with Magnum, but then other times you did nothing - i.e the normal Magnum no damage bug? I must say, I tried a few games with Magnum and the bug seemed to be fixed for me, all my shots recorded damage. That was the first time since the release of HTML5 that I was able to use Magnum again, seemingly without the no damage bug. However, some are still getting it? However unfortunately, I am still getting the general no damage bug, where you sometimes join a map with any turret/hull and do no damage at all, after a long load. Although I have not experienced the Magnum no damage bug since the patch - I really hope that is finally sorted. What do others find, with and without Magnum? Still getting the Magnum bug or not?

I must say thank you to the developers for the increased gold DM event this weekend, it was pretty great. I am very glad that they listened to us and finally gave us increased gold events without overdrive/drones, much more balanced for all players and nice to play again without overdrives and drones - much better than the Lifeguard/Booster/Crisis/Defender-fest that was the event last weekend. I had fun playing this weekend's event mode and also earned good profit. The overdrives-on events are also fun too in their own way, nice to have different things sometimes, but I much prefer overdrives and drones being off. In general, it is pretty cool IMO that we have different events each weekend, helps make Matchmaking less monotonous and is a nice change, plus pretty profitable too sometimes. P.S. If you didn't enjoy this weekend's event that is probably because you didn't have a well upgraded light hull, and a suitable turret for DM. If you did, then you could do pretty well from it like me.

Nice one! Much harder to get that kind of score at Legend, so many things that can easily kill the Jug.

Very impressive performance :) My previous best was 106-0 on a low rank account, you win ? I think, with the new rules in Matchmaking that you are required to kill 10 Juggernauts, a game where one team is dominating can go on long much longer than before and you can now get super-high scores. I would like to see if anyone can reach 150-0 or more, if that is possible. https://prnt.sc/qp8z6i

Why??? Having a drones/overdrives on event, and a no drones/overdrive event the weekend after is good - it is much better that we now have an event that has no drones, as well as no overdrives. If drones were enabled, then players who have a higher MU-ed drone have a big advantage - and it will also cost us batteries to play. This way, we can play without drones and everyone has a better chance - much better for players with a weaker garage. You have a chance to have fun with drones and overdrives last week, now it is the turn for the free players to get some golds. Players including me asked for no overdrives golds events for ages, and now they have finally come - so be happy. Also since the drone/supply linkage update it is best that drones are turned off when overdrives are turned off, also. I prefer standard golds to explosive - but a change every so often is good - other than that I see nothing wrong with the special DM events, they are pretty good.

Yes indeed, I said the first days after the introduction of the critical damage update that it was ridiculous that the developers had created a new damage type, and only given buyers protection against it - with critical damage and Armadillo. It is one of the worst moves the developers have pulled on non-buyers, in my opinion, and one of the worst pay-to-win aspects in the game. Now non-buyers have problems against certain augments which deal a large amount of critical damage, yet if we nerf them we will be even worse against buyers who already have the counter to critical damage, as well as better augments themselves. So yes, there is no winning with the situation they have created - Armadillo should be provided for all in the Garage, the current situation is simply unfair. There are some things that might be fair to be buyer exclusive, but protection against an entire damage type should not be one of them - that is far too fundamental an aspect of the game.

I have also experienced this bug on my alt today, which was using Hornet and Crisis. Self-destructed 3 times on Highland when I was near the ramps, also happened once in a game on Osa. Suuuuper annoying! Sadly my PC is not good enough to record a video :( But I'm sure others will, this needs fixed asap.

I get what you are saying, but I do not agree. I do think that Autocannon is slightly too powerful, for those of us who do not have access to critical damage protection, but I personally haven't really got that much of a problem facing Autocannon players - as I say, nowhere near as much of a problem as I have against the big Ultra Container augments such as Striker Stunning missiles, Vampire Nanobots etc. As for Armadillo being rare, I have seen increasing numbers of Armadillo about lately, and those numbers will increase over time as more players get it from Ultras. Unlike Crisis - which is situationally useful and not good with all combos - Armadillo is universally useful, so you are more likely to see players who have it with it equipped, especially if they have 4 modules. Smoky is not my main turret, but I do use it with various augments including Autocannon, and I have observed just how weak it is against Armadillo. Now perhaps a slight nerf to Autocannon for low ranks (although actually, it really isn't very common there anyway), but if we nerf all the good Garage augments, particularly ones dependant on critical damage - because they are dependant on critical damage - what exactly are we going to do when you face those 9999s who you are now weaker against? Roll over? The only Garage augment which was so broken it most certainly required a nerf was Incendiary Brand Vulcan, in combination with Heat Immunity, now that that is gone, I don't have a particular problem with any garage augment - comparing them to the ever growing list of more overpowered Ultra Container augments. Garage augments are fast becoming second tier augments, and if you consider Autocannon "broken" now, I doubt you will in 6 months time after Stun Thunder, EMP Firebird and so on have been added to the list. I don't think we need to take away the veritable sharpened pitchforks non-buyers currently have to compete against the rocket launchers the developers hand to buying players. EDIT: And by the way, I of course do agree with Congo on the whole here that Autocannon could do with changes, he makes sound arguments as ever. However I think given that a strong counter to Autocannon already exists in the form of Armadillo, and taking into consideration the attitude to balance/pay-to-win the developers have shown with changes in the last year or so - plus the ever growing advantage buyers have - these other considerations overrule possible balance changes to the current Garage augments which could be thought of as OP due to a high level of critical damage. Other augments in this category would be Scout Railgun and Hunter/Adrenaline Striker. All very powerful for anyone who doesn't have Armadillo - but I wouldn't support a nerf for the reasons I have given.

It is certainly true that many players do not have Armadillo, but those players who do not have it are the weaker players - the non-buyers, who are already at a disadvantage compared to the players who are likely to have it. If we nerf the strong garage augments, those players will be the main ones who are hurt - the buyers with Armadillo can not only protect against critical damage already but also have easier access to the more powerful Ultra Container augments that we have now - and further ones to come, in additional to fourth modules and other potential advantages they will be given in the future, such as perhaps a 2nd hull augment slot (lets hope that never happens). The main players you have to worry about facing are the strongest players - the buyers, and against those players Autocannon is already not particularly effective, because against Armadillo it is balanced. As time goes on, more players will gain access to Armadillo as they get lucky from Ultra Containers, and just like it was with Firebird when Heat Immunity was released, which at first not many players have access too. At first Firebird was fine, and now we have reached a stage where it is very ineffective aside from with one augment (though admittedly Armadillo will never be as common as Heat Immunity - but it will be among buyers). The number of players able to protect against critical damage - and therefore render critical dependent augments and turrets much less effective - will grow, and we have to consider the future and not just the present. We need to consider all equipment when thinking about balance changes, but the most important consideration is to think about the balance between buyers and free players - because buyers already hold the advantage. Other free players are not something I worry about, whether they are using autocannon or not, the players that cause the trouble are the 9999s with 4 modules, Armadillo and whatever the latest OP Ultra Container augment is. Therefore considering the fact that a counter already exists for buyers (Armadillo) I consider Autocannon balanced when facing the top-end buying players, and further changes would make it too weak against them, especially in time as more players acquire Armadillo. The true solution to the issue with critical damage - and augments and turrets which rely heavily on that - is to make critical damage protection available to ALL players, simply nerfing the augments which depend more on critical damage will cause other issues, all these issues came about from the critical damage update in the first place.

The thing is though, Autocannon is already balanced against the Armadillo module - this greatly reduces the damage from it. The problem is that after the critical damage update, a lot of the functionality that used to be in the Dolphin and Griffin modules for example - has been moved to the Armadillo module. The solution, is that Armadillo should be given out to all players in the Garage (but of course, that is unlikely to happen...). Something as fundamental as critical damage protection should NEVER have been a buyer exclusive item, with a small chance for free players to get it - it should be available to all players. A nerf to Autocannon, and other critical dependant augments will leave it too weak against Armadillo users, which will become more common in time. We must consider all modules, and all equipment when thinking of balance - not just garage equipment only. Dolphin is not the only module in the game available to protect against Smoky, if we nerf all critical dependant augments and turrets too much, certain players in possession of a certain module will be laughing, as you are now even weaker against them - compared to the disadvantage we already have now.

Sure we should be grateful for free stuff, but there is no point playing a game if you can't compete at all - you are wasting your time. If the disadvantage between paying players and free players becomes too great, then the free players will simply leave - as they should - because there is no point in playing if you literally have no chance in battle against certain players, that is simply not fun at all. I think buyers currently have a strong advantage, but it hasn't reached that stage just yet. If we get things like 2nd hull augment slots though, that could tip things to the point of the advantage being far too great. So that is why such strong advantages for buyers should never be implemented, and players rightfully protest at such suggestions.

I would agree with you, and I hate to be "that guy" but unfortunately I have to say exactly what you tried to pre-empt and say that Autocannon is one of the few things keeping F2P tankers afloat :P . IF we were dealing with a games company that actually cared about balance, listened to player feedback and didn't want to profit of heavy pay-to-win (for example: Blizzard, who are always carefully monitoring community feedback on everything, and balancing their games regularly), then I might support a nerf to Autocannon and similar augments. But unfortunately, we are not - we are dealing with Alternativa. Working within the system that they operate, I would not support any nerfs to any Garage augments, no matter if they were OP or not, as we have even more overpowered things which are readily available only to buyers, such as: EMP Gauss, Stunning Missiles Striker, Vampire Isida and Blunderbuss - with more such Ultra Container augments soon to come, no doubt, along with probably a 2nd hull augment slot eventually, to add to the fourth module slot F2P tankers are already denied. Looking to the future, it would surely be unwise to ask for any nerf to Garage augments, it is too hopeful to suggest the devs might care enough to counteract a nerf to Autocannon with a buff to stock Smoky - highly unlikely. They haven't proven themselves worthy of such faith - all you will get will be a nerf to Autocannon, and free-to-play tankers in a worse position. And actually - to be honest I don't think Autocannon is overpowered, because Armadillo is a strong counter to it. Dolphin isn't, that's for sure, but buyers right now - and over time even quite a few free players - will have access to Armadillo, which strongly counters Autocannon and all such critical dependant augments and turrets. Facing Armadillo Autocannon is strongly nerfed - and I think we have to take all modules into account - not just the ones available in the Garage. So for those reasons, I definitely wouldn't support a nerf to Autocannon. If it was nerfed, it would be even worse against Armadillo users which will become a lot more common in time.

I find myself in rare agreement with Cosmic on this one: Sure the developers need to get money to keep the game going, but they can find income in other ways than selling things that would totally destroy all balance between heavy buyers and other players. A second hull augment slot would be a much, much greater advantage than the fourth module slot, and would bring about the biggest imbalance and pay-to-win ever seen in Tanki. It could do quite the opposite of what you say - the game also needs many free players and low-end buyers to keep queue times low, and to provide "fodder" for the buyers, in the face of such dramatic imbalance the game could well lose too many players and die. Buyers themselves may also feel cheated that they have to fork out yet another large wad of cash just to keep up - because if some players are walking around with a second module slot and you are a buyer without one, you will be at a much bigger disadvantage than if you missed out on the fourth module slot. The game does not need more status effects, it already has enough, and no more should be introduced such that a second hull augment slot would ever require to be added. If they add more status effects, and a subsequent tankoins-only module slot, that will surely precipitate the death of the game. There are plenty of other ways to earn income than implementing such ghastly and excessive pay-to-win as a second hull augment slot would be.

No I strongly disagree with this - it is good that double experience is not present for every day of the event, but is only there on weekends, as this gives low rankers a chance to focus more on completing the missions during the weekdays when experience gain is less. For those that do what double experience (Legends and those that want to rank up fast), they have opportunity for that during the weekends. This is not IDEAL, but it is much better than double experience throughout the whole event as with some events - it really annoys me when double experience is present on every day of an event, as this is incredibly bad for low rank players who rank up far too fast. A better solution would be to scrap double experience from events altogether - or allow players to turn increased experience/crystals on events on or off as they wish in an option in the "gameplay" settings (as I proposed), but if the developers will do neither of these things - then at least only having double experience on certain days is better than nothing. The lower ranks have a chance to get the missions done without ranking up quite as much during the week, and therefore from facing tanks too strong for them too early on.

It is definitely time to implement this - Legends should only play against Legends - when you are at Generalissimo and below you should only play against non-Legend ranks. There are enough Legends in the game to make this possible, and it should be done - things would be much fairer in the upper ranks. The problem with Legends has gotten worse since the Drone upgrade level/supplies linkage update - Legends very often have a maxed out non-Brutus drone, whereas lower ranks have rarely had the crystals/time to upgrade any non-Brutus drone to that level - resulting in an even greater disadvantage than before. This needs to happen, ASAP.